News and Events about invasive plant removal in the James River Park System

Author: aellisjravaorg

5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Written by Meg Turner

Invasive plants can wreak havoc in your garden, and can also do damage in your neighbors’ yards and beyond, aggressively spreading by runners and by seed disbursal through air or wildlife. As the James River Park System Invasive Plant Task Force works to eradicate invasive species from the James River Park System, you can take these 5 steps to eradicate invasive plants in your own yard, creating a garden that is more beautiful and that provides pollen, nectar, food and shelter for wildlife.

Do no harm. When planting your garden, refer to the list of the most threatening invasive plant species in Virginia, and do not purchase or plant those plants. The list can be found on the Virginia Department of Conservation Resources website.

Remove any invasive plants living in your garden. Some of the most frequent invaders in Virginia home gardens are privet, Japanese honeysuckle, Japanese wisteria, garlic mustard, ground ivy and English ivy. When removing invasive plants, it is important to remove the entire plant, and, when possible, to remove the plant before it flowers or sets seed. For more information on removal techniques, visit this website.

Plant native trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, ferns and groundcovers in the places where you remove invasives. Invasive plants love a vacuum, and will fill it, so plant soon after invasive removal. Many nurseries now identify plants that are native, and some even have native plant sections. Planting natives in conditions where they will thrive will add a natural beauty to your landscape, help inhibit invasive plant growth, and increase wildlife habitat.

Remove English ivy growing in trees. If English ivy is left to grow into a tree’s canopy, it can eventually kill the tree. To save the tree, first use garden clippers to cut the vines around the base of the tree. If the vines are too thick to cut with clippers, you may need to use a saw, being careful not to harm the trunk. Leave the severed vines on the trunk, as removing them may harm the tree’s bark. Second, manually remove any ivy growing on the ground within two feet of the tree. This is easiest to do when the ground is moist. Periodically check your trees, and remove any ivy that reappears.

Spread the word!Ask your local nursery to stop selling plants that are on the DCR’s invasive plant list (bring a copy of the list to share with them). Host a neighborhood invasives workday, educating the neighbors about the dangers of invasive plants. Check the JRPS Invasive Plant Task Force schedule for volunteer opportunities to remove invasives in our beloved James River Park System.

Free a Tree!

Written by Madge Bemiss

English ivy (Hedera Helix) is an aggressive garden ground cover, but when allowed to grow vertically, its thick evergreen vines will actually choke and strangle trees. As ivy climbs in search of increased light, it engulfs and kills branches by blocking light from reaching the host tree’s leaves. Branch die back proceeds from lower to upper branches, often leaving the tree with just a small green “broccoli head.” The host tree eventually succumbs entirely from this insidious and steady weakening. In addition, the added weight of the vines makes infested trees much more susceptible to blow-over during high rain and wind events and heavy snowfalls. (Read more at https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/hehe1.htm )

As a ground cover English ivy is not as big of an invasive threat because these plants stay in a juvenile phase and do not flower or set seed. Only plants growing vertically mature to flower and set seeds that are eaten by birds and spread to distant locations. Cutting down vines will save a tree, and prevent the potential spread of this invasive species.

In the James River Park System, English ivy and poison ivy often grow together. When cutting vines from trees, it’s important to be able to identify the roots – especially for winter work. Poison Ivy vines are just as toxic as the leaves — a hazard year-round.

With over 75% of the James River Park Systems covered in invasive species, it would be overwhelming for the JRPS Invasive Plant Task Force to take on the whole park at once. As a group, it was decided to focus on 4 focus areas to start with.

Belle Isle: Did you know Belle Isle is over 57 acres! This is one of the most visited and well known sections of JRPS. During the invasive plant survey a total of 26 invasive species were found. Of those, 6 are highly invasive. The Richmond Tree Stewards have been the lead organization for this area and lead weekly removals on Thursday mornings from 9am-Noon. Next time you’re out wandering the trails, see if you can notice where they’ve been working and keep an eye out for their educational signs.

Chapel Island: Many people haven’t visited this section of JRPS, but it is a real gem and quite different from other parts of the park in that it lies below the fall line. During the invasive plant survey a total of 18 invasive species were found. Of those, 8 are highly invasive. The James River Association has been the lead organization for this area and starting this year will be leading invasive removal days every fourth Monday from 1-3pm. Their main focus thus far has been on the eastern part of the island. As you wander the island see if you can notice a difference in how the eastern side differs from the western side of Chapel Island.

Pony Pasture:Most people have visited Pony Pasture and enjoyed sunning on the rocks, but you may not have noticed what plant life surrounded you. This over 95 acre area of the park has 21 invasive plant species that were identified during the invasive plant survey. Of those, 11 are highly invasive. The Riverine Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturlalists are the lead organization for Pony Pasture and lead regular removals there. Their main focus has been the area to the left of the kiosk at the parking lot. Keep an eye on their progress and tell them thank you if you see them working!

Reedy Creek: The JRPS Headquarters is within this 45 acre section of JRPS. A total of 23 invasive species were found during the invasive plant survey. Of those, 11 are highly invasive. The Friends of James River Park System are the lead organization for this section. Their focus area has been just east of the Nature Center along the access road. They started with a herd of goats that made a huge dent in the English Ivy there and made it easier for volunteers to come in afterwards and clip the roots off the trees.

If you want to become involved, please visit the JRPS Calendar for dates and registration.

Attention James River Park visitors! We have a problem with alien invaders, not from outer space, but from other parts of our planet. They are wreaking havoc in our park, and that is why we are “outing” them during National Invasive Species Awareness Week (February 27-March 5) and with our kickoff at Pony Pasture on Saturday, February 25th.

What are Invasive Species?

Species of plants that arrived here from somewhere other than Virginia, either from another region or another continent, may become invasive. They often arrived here as hitchhikers on imported material or because someone thought they’d be attractive and easy to grow in yards or gardens.

Unfortunately, these particular species of plants have the ability to grow rapidly in almost any location, reproduce readily, and are able to quickly spread over sites disturbed by human activities. In addition, they have none of the natural enemies that would have kept them in check in their home territories.

What’s the problem with Invasive Species?

Rampant growth, especially of invasive vines, can smother the ground, preventing growth of native wildflowers like bluebells. They climb over shrubs and trees, sometimes creating enough weight to break limbs and tops. Shrubs like bush honeysuckles and autumn olive shade out spring and summer wildflowers. While birds may eat some fruits, and some animals may forage among them, the food value of invasives compared to that of native plants is often poor. In addition, birds and other wildlife can distribute seeds of invasive plants in their poop, aiding their spread.

In many areas of James River Park, Wintercreeper or Creeping Euonymus and English Ivy form dense mats on the ground and huge clumps in the trees. These are especially visible in the Pony Pasture area. Other invasive plants including Privet, Periwinkle, Oriental Bittersweet, Bush Honeysuckles and Japanese Honeysuckle have proliferated throughout the Park.

These Invasive plants compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. Overall plant diversity is decreased. This results in loss of food and habitat for our native birds, insects and animals.